Friday, November 27, 2009

The Mighty Andar by Jeff Lemire

This drawing is of my character The Mighty Andar as interpreted by a really great cartoonist named Jeff Lemire.

Something I've picked up from self-publishing comics guru Alec Longstreth is the idea of sending my comics to people I'd like to have read them. I've sent copies to people whose work I admire, with the invitation to make comments or even do a quick sketch for the letters page. (I know, I've got a lot of nerve, don't I?)

Lemire makes great comics for grown-ups like the Essex County graphic novel trilogy that USA Today called "a devastatingly beautiful series of tales" that "highlighted the human experience from the magic in a child's imagination to the sorrowful regrets of old men". His new series is Sweet Tooth, "a post-pandemic world devolved into a population of human/animal hybrid children being hunted by paranoid humans."

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Turkey Day!

This is a parody of the cover for Action Comics #52. The original is below:

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The Sightings Continue

More proof that the Mighty Andar is more than an urban legend. The Giant Chicken also reveals that he has an altar ego, but whether he is a true threat or benevolent is ambiguous at this point.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Sketches from a Poetry Reading by Billy Collins



I had the wonderful opportunity to hear a poetry reading by esteemed poet Billy Collins at the National Writing Project Conference in Philadelphia. To be honest, his work was new to me -- and it had been years since I'd attempted to enjoy contemporary poetry -- but Collins' work is accessible, understandable and funny! While he read, I sketched him in my sketchbook. Later, I bought one of his books to have him sign and talked to him briefly -- one of the really great things that happened during this trip. I also gave him a copy of Eclectic Comics #3. He said that he loved comics. One more reason I have a new opinion of poets!

Below is a video of him reading one of his poems elsewhere.

Quotable Quotes

Sketchbook drawings of people I think are interesting, along with something they had to say.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

ABC #24: Bright Eyes

When last we heard from The Mighty Andar, he was thrown 20 feet by a giant chicken.

The Art by Committee Challenge this month is to illustrate this random quote from a science fiction novel. I have no idea what novel or anything about the story.
“He is shorter than I remember, and thin. His fur is grayed to white in a fringe around his head, just below his ears. His coat is dull, thinning, and coarse. His eyes, so bright I…”
Regular readers of this blog know that I am trying to piece all of these into a cohesive story. Below are two pages. The second is the one I did to illustrate this challenge. The one above it is one I did about a year and a half ago, to put it in context.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Life Imitates Art?


Here I am with my friend Rich Macik, who happens to be dressed as a giant chicken. This is during the school Halloween parade. Regular readers may recall that the Mighty Andar Recently battled a six foot chicken. This goes to show -- be careful what you visualize, because many times these things come to pass!

Monday, November 2, 2009

The Journey Begins


This graphic shows the Dissertation Sequence for Northcentral University, which I started today. It's broken down into eight three-credit courses. At the end, I will have a Doctor of Education degree (EdD) in Curriculum & Teaching. Wish me luck!